Secondary Education

MHC multipurpose homes are operated in partnership with the NC Department of Public Safety have on-site teachers who individually assess and educate teens in care.

These teens come to group homes as repeat juvenile offenders, referred by a court counselor or judge, and they’re often behind grade level when they arrive. It’s the job of group home teachers and staff to help them catch up and shed bad habits.

Standardized test scores show they’re succeeding. Math and reading data show students improve dramatically in MHC group homes—some by multiple grade levels.

This kind of progress is possible because group home teachers test the teens when they arrive and then tackle strengths and weaknesses, which may be rooted in learning difficulties or behavioral problems. They’re able to work individually with the students and help with studying and homework. The results often surprise the kids, say Shannon Tuzo, director of residential services. “It’s eye opening and inspiring to them when their scores improve and they see they can do better than they thought they could. That taste of success is very motivating.”

The model of care used in group homes stresses personal responsibility, hard work and goal setting, and privileges such as visits home are earned through good behaviors and effort in the classroom. For this reason, academic improvements usually dovetail with other behavioral changes, Tuzo says, and MHC extends its services with six months of follow-up care once a teen has gone home.